Design Director

After spending some time on the online job boards scanning some of the frankly awful job ads out there, I thought I would take it upon myself to write up something that is short and (hopefully) sweet, but with the right amount of flavour.

So without further a do, let me take you on a little journey...

The journey begins with the organisation in question, a hugely progressive and innovative (with a capital 'I') Tech Company in the North East... Newcastle upon Tyne if we're getting specific! They are an award-winning organisation and a long-standing client of ours, working at the forefront of the technology market to create interactive experiences for their customers. They work with some of the world's leading brands and are a hybrid mix, combining the customer-centricity of a Creative Agency with the engineering quality of a Software House.

Simply put, they are a pretty cool company.

The journey continues with the role, a newly-created position in their senior leadership team with the purpose of essentially taking responsibility for all design channels across the company. You will be awarded a huge amount of creative control and autonomy (bye bye micro-management!), focusing on spearheading a team encompassing UX Designers, UI Designers and Web Engineers as the organisation continues on its journey of becoming one of the leading Tech Companies in Europe.

Your task will be challenging, essentially establishing a proper design function as a separate entity within the business, developing new working processes and methodologies that cultivate a mix of creativity and innovation, whilst at the same time creating a team culture that echoes the values of the organisation. On a daily basis, you will be tasked with creating workflows, presentations and pipelines from scratch, ultimately promoting a UX-centric approach to their work. You will shape the visual identity of the business, helping to improve their already distinguishable brand whilst at the same time bringing a raft of new ideas to the table.

The journey begins to conclude with the requirements... which are pretty detailed! So rather than simply copy and pasting the formal job description, I thought I would highlight the key things that you need to demonstrate to apply...

Stakeholder Management - First and foremost, the core focus of this role will involve engaging with stakeholders (up to c-level) on a daily basis. This organisation works with numerous customers and the environment is fast-paced, so a background working in either a Digital Agency or Consultancy would be beneficial as you will be expected to switch seamlessly between projects and create innovative experiences for a range of clients.

Leadership & Strategy - Due to the senior nature of this role, a large focus will involve getting involved in high-level technical discussions around roadmaps and change, as well as both recruiting new talent and developing their existing team. You should have a proven ability to progress individuals and get the best from them creatively by establishing an environment where ideas are sought and developed, alongside a track record of desiging UX roadmaps and customer roadmaps.

Technical Background (UX, UI) - This organisation are relatively small in terms of headcount (approximately 100) so you will be expected to liaise with technical stakeholders (e.g. UX Designers, Web Developers, Software Engineers, Graphic Designers) on a daily basis. Whilst you won't be creating wireframes on a daily basis or building responsive web applications, you will be expected to bring a strong technical background to the table. Therefore, a background as either a UX Designer (preferred) or a Web Developer is a key requirement, as is experience working in an Agile environment.

But ultimately, what this organisation wants is a passionate leader with a genuine enthusiasm for technology and the capability of delivering large portfolios of work in a highly-challenging environment.

Sounds simple enough right?

Where this journey ends is completely up to you - if you'd like it to end right here then thank you for reading the advert... I hope it was at least a bit better than the standard adverts online! However, if you'd like this journey to continue to a conversation then give me a shout.

You can give me a call on either my office line () or my mobile (). Alternatively, you can send me an email to or search for 'Liam Haghighat' on LinkedIn (trust me, I am pretty easy to find with my surname!).

Anything discussed will remain completely confidential and in accordance with GDPR.